Discover Damascene at Lake Buena Vista Village!
The Lake Buena Vista Village was truly a one-of-a-kind experience. Through the years, it has morphed from a Village, to a Marketplace, to a Downtown, and finally, to Disney Springs. Along with Fort Wilderness, it’s part of what made the Vacation Kingdom of the World unique and something we will never see again.
The May/June issue of the Lake Buena Vista Village News has an article on the lost art of Damascene and the only practicing artisan. He would be appearing at the Arribas Brothers Toledo Arts at the Village.
Rufino Garcia is more than unusual. He’s a one-of-a-kind. The only practicing Damascene artisan in the entire United States.
Damascene is an ancient art named for the city of its origin, middle-eastern Damascus. However, it was not until the Arab invaders brought Damascene to Toledo, Spain in 600 A.D. that the art of engraving specially forged steel with precious metals reached full flower. Toledo rapidly became famous throughout the Old World for its beautifully engraved sword hilts and weapon handles.
Although its uses have expanded over the centuries into decorative plaques, precious jewelry, ornate family crests and un- usual home accessories, the Damascene process remains the same.
Special tools chisel the tiny lines and points into the black forged surface of the steel. Gold and silver are incrusted onto the metal. Then the entire surface is lightened, brightened
and smoothed into its characteristic soft, dark lustre.Rufino comes to us from Toledo, a fourth generation artisan of the delicate Damascene. His major project for the month of June, he tells us, will be a life size portrait of Walt Disney in intricately inlaid 24 karat gold. He also plans to complete some collector pieces celebrating America’s Bicentennial. You’ll find Rufino at work daily in the Arribas Brothers Toledo Arts.
Where Was the Arribas Brothers Toledo Arts at the Lake Buena Vista Village?
The shop was located in one of the larger buildings at the Village (look for number 28).
The building on the far left of the map is the World of Disney Store. The building (sort of) in the middle is the Marketplace Co-Op, and the hexagon-shaped building is the current Pin Traders.
In the close-up view, I’ve circled 28 so you can see where the Arribas Brothers shop was. The area marked 31 is the current home of the Basin Store. The current Crystal Arts by Arribas Brothers store is about where number 12 is, so they didn’t move too far.